Question 015: I can't hit the center. What should I do?

Answer

▶ Thinking about it makes you miss the center

The reason you aren't hitting the center of the racket face is that you are thinking about your form and how to hit while you are swinging.

The mental simulation going on in your head looks something like this:

"Why am I not hitting the center of the racket face?"
"Am I swinging too much?"
"Is it because I'm using my wrists too much?"
"Then I have to lock my wrists!"
"I'm still not hitting the center..."
"Is my grip wrong in the first place?" and so on...

Because you are thinking about your form and how to hit, you aren't hitting the center of the racket face.

▶ The racket moves and the face angle changes. That takes 0.1 seconds

Why?

Because when you think while you hit, your "timing" gets thrown off.

The physical error of not hitting the center of the racket face is actually caused by a temporal error where your timing is off..

During a single swing, the racket face continues to move without stopping, and the angle of the racket face also changes moment by moment..

Even if you try to align it with the center of the racket face, if your timing is off by even 0.1 seconds, the position of the racket face will have moved significantly, and the orientation of the racket face will have changed significantly as well.

Therefore, if your timing is off, you won't hit the center of the racket face.

▶ The true nature of a "bad hit" is a "timing error"

You end up hitting the ball while the racket face is near the edge, or while the face is open facing upward, or closed facing downward.

This is the true nature of a "bad hit".

Furthermore, if your timing is too fast or too slow, it's not hard to imagine that you might miss the ball entirely.

In other words, timing is the key.
First, this issue of temporal error is one point.

▶ The image of "spatial awareness" is shaky

And one more point.

A spatial awareness error is suspected.

This is a case where the image you have of where the center of the racket face is, is misaligned with the actual position of the center of the racket face.

As is well known from when the king of beasts, So Takei, brought it up on "Waratte Iitomo!", it's like how you might think you are raising both arms horizontally, but in reality, they are higher or lower than that..

Similarly, the center of the racket face you imagine is misaligned with the actual center of the racket face..

Especially in tennis, your image of the center of the racket face can waver depending on the shot or the point of contact—for example, it might be correct for a forehand but off for a backhand, or correct at waist height but off at higher or lower contact points, or significantly off for a high backhand volley hit with your back to the net.

▶ The secret to a perfect hit is "not thinking"

Although you might be told various things in lessons about why you can't hit the center of the racket face, in reality, it boils down to only the two points mentioned above.

So, how can you learn to hit the center of the racket face perfectly?

Regarding the timing error, the cause of the error was thinking about your form and how to hit while swinging.

If that's the case, try "not thinking" about your form or how to hit.

In other words, if you "focus only on the ball," your timing will align, and you will be able to catch it in the center of the racket face..

▶ Experience that you can feel in your body as "feedback" is important

Regarding the spatial awareness error, for example, practicing with a "cross-string racket" where only about 6 main strings and 6 cross strings are strung in the center is effective for building an accurate image based on reality (it seems there is a "cross-string racket" used by Juujiro Oni in "The Prince of Tennis" that is strung with only one vertical and one horizontal string).

Since the four corners of the racket face are empty, if you miss the center, you will, to put it extremely, swing and miss.

Conversely, if you practice, you will stop missing, the incorrect image regarding spatial awareness will be corrected, and you will be able to consistently catch the ball in the center of the racket face.

It is important not just to understand this in your head, but to have an experience that you can feel in your body as "feedback.".

Of course, you can't hit hard with a "cross-string racket," but since it is just practice to accurately hold the image of the center of the racket face, it is sufficient if you try it in mini-rallies, etc..

▶ The "exclusive domain" of those who practice

That said, even if I convey this information, I don't really care whether it helps people or not.

Why?

Because most people "don't do it," so they don't achieve improvement, and in the end, it is the exclusive domain of a very limited number of readers who actually practice.

There may be circumstances where it is difficult to prepare a cross-string racket, so in that case, I will suggest other variations, but anyway, "you have to use your body and practice!"
No matter what tennis teaching material it is, if you only watch, listen, or read, you might think in your head,
"That's easy to understand!" and feel like you can do it, but you will never actually be able to do it..

▶ You can't taste it unless you taste it

It's the same as a gourmet report on TV.
(Huh?)

No matter how much the reporter says "Delicious!", "Juicy!", or "Spicy!", the viewer can never "taste" that flavor unless they try eating it themselves.

Just because that person thinks it's delicious, I don't know if I will find it delicious too.

▶ Throw a crying child into the pool

There is a teaching called "swimming on a tatami mat."

Unless you jump into the water, no matter how much you think about it in your head on a tatami mat, you won't be able to swim.

Conversely, even a child who has just joined a swimming school and is scared of the water and crying can be made to enjoy the water in one go if the coach throws them into the pool..

This is not about being anxious in your head, but "the wonder of experiencing it physically."
And it is the
"amazing power of natural improvement" that humans possess.
No matter how much someone claims to be unable to swim, everyone has the ability to swim, so it's just a matter of how to bring it out.

Why you can swim, nobody knows, right?


Therefore, just like swimming, once you acquire the sense, anyone will be able to play tennis freely..

▶ Actually, you will reach a point where you 'can't help but hit the center'

Once your timing and spatial awareness become accurate, you will naturally find yourself hitting the sweet spot of the racket face repeatedly.

In fact, it gets to the point where you feel like you have to intentionally miss the center just to avoid hitting it there.

By 'naturally,' I mean 'without having to think about it at all.'

Please be careful, because if you consciously try to hit the center of the racket face, your timing will be thrown off for the reasons mentioned above.

You have spent so much time researching and focusing on your form and how to hit the ball.

If the reality is that you still haven't mastered tennis despite all that, then even if you continue to watch, listen to, or read similar materials in the future, your reality will not change.

If you keep repeating the same thing, you will be treated as a 'madman' by Einstein.

Practice, practice, practice above all else.

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